By Diana Motruk
Mornings in my country are no longer good and peaceful, as they used to be. Now, every morning in Ukraine is full of the death of our innocent children, full of the death of peaceful people, full of destroyed families.
Every day, a new Ukrainian city is set on fire by the occupiers’ shelling, every moment a human life ends under the collapse of some building.
There seems to be no end to these losses.
There is no more time for daily business in my village. All these days, my people put aside all their affairs to volunteer.
They collect aid for the military, distribute food and seek shelter for the migrants; they also pray a lot and persistently.
People fearlessly take to the streets against a column of tanks — we protest against the armed occupiers! My people are more united than ever against the enemy. But even so, this war continues.
Many are the mothers who with their little children flee abroad every day. But there are also many of us who are still here to be useful and to become a reliable rear guard for our defenders.
It is clear to us that today we fight for the whole world.
If you believe that military action is impossible in your country; well, we also believed the same until last February 24; we thought that war in Ukraine was impossible.
Today Ukraine has become a shield for Europe. Please listen to us and help us!
All prayers, donations, words of support, and pressure on the authorities to close the Ukrainian sky, protect the safety of critical infra- structure (nuclear power plants), strengthen the air defense system, supply aircraft, weapons, fuel — are necessary for us to counter the enemy.
Please do not deny us your hand in these difficult times for Ukrainians! So that we can again see good and calm mornings, like yours, also in our lands.
Diana Motruk is the wife of Father Mykola Motruk, a Byzantine rite priest of the Greek-Catholic diocese of Kolmyia, Ukraine. Diana has a degree in journalism and Ukrainian philology, works in the communications department of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, and is currently pregnant with the couple’s first child.